With winter approaching and a chill in the air, some people take that to mean the days of driving their classic car are numbered. But don’t pull the cover over your baby too soon, because the Annual Thanksgiving Day Sea to Sky Run takes place each year on Canadian Thanksgiving Monday! This is a quick, local, (free) and fun meetup to “give thanks” for another fine season of motoring.
What: A casual cruise and meetup with fellow classic car owners of all pre-’79 classic cars and trucks, ’80s and ’90s RetroCars (soon to be classics), and vehicles of distinction.
Drive the best part of the Sea-to-Sky Highway on a quiet holiday morning, and enjoy the company of classic car nuts before you have to head off to the in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner! We plan it so that you can be back home by midday. Some of you might have done a Sea to Sky run recently with your various car clubs, but its always fun to mix all the marques together and meet new people. And really, who can say no to the beautiful views and winding turns past ocean and mountains – especially on a holiday!
When: Thanksgiving Monday, October 14th: 8:00-11:30am. We’ll begin meeting at 8:00am, and depart at 9:00am.
Where: The Thanksgiving run will meet in North Vancouver at Capilano University, parking lot 4. Capilano University can be found using our Google Maps Link. The Run will then travel North on Hwy 99, to the Sea to Sky Gondola, south of Squamish. Here we have a large parking lot reserved for the group.
What to Bring: Please bring a non-perishable food donation for the Squamish Food Bank. We’ll collect those goods up in Squamish at the finish.
Additional Information: Many of you are aware of the vandalism in early August which resulted in the loss of the Gondola cable and cabins. In an effort to ensure continued support to the Gondola, we’re still heading north for coffee at the base.
Winter Tire Law: The winter tire law for the Sea to Sky highway will be in effect as of October 1st. Tires that are legal for driving to squamish will be full winter tires (designated with the three point mountain snow-flake symbol) OR all-season tires that are marked with an M+S on the sidewall. Please check your tires carefully, so you are aware of what you’re driving on. Dave’s 1958 Beetle and 1963 Midget, for instance, both have M+S tires which are legal to drive. The 1971 Rally Bug, however, runs an 3-season tire which doesn’t have the M+S markings.
The archway in front of the hotel was packed with cars, drying out and applying Rain-X for the beginning of day three. The weather appears a little damp, but even Bill and Wendy in the Caterham 7 (no top) couldn’t be deterred by the rain. We were here for driving, and there was still day three to complete!
Our route today explored the 229 and 101 North, but dropped off the main tourist routes for some unknown side roads to spice up the day. We wound through farmlands and foothills, past rivers, over historic bridges, and chased forgotten railway lines as we worked our way north. Despite one quick deluge of heavy water, it was mostly the light misty rain typical of the Pacific Northwest in fall. We had started the event in t-shirts and shorts, but the reminder that fall was upon us had arrived!
Eventually we turned east, heading towards our finish in Forest Grove. Typically a CCA event will end at a golf course, or local restaurant, for a finish lunch. This time, however, we arrived at the McMenamins Grand Lodge which was built in the 1920’s. Originally a Masons lodge, the Lodge now operates as a hotel, and is full of history on each floor.
As our final lunch wound down, it was time for the awards. The Hard Luck award was originally planned for Pat and Pat Brothers, who’s Ford Thunderbird was replaced by a BMW when it couldn’t make the start…but the Camaro driven by Eric Bergman and Mike Ferguson wasn’t going to allow that to happen! With a delayed flight, the guys arrived late to a borrowed car with insurances that it had been “looked over”, and the inspection sheet filled out on their behalf. A weekend spent driving with friends, was also a weekend spent diagnosing, and repairing, a number of items which clearly should have been addressed! So we sent them back to return the car with the best shame we could provide, the Hard Luck Award!
Two of our entrants were prepared to arrive in their 1951 Studebaker Commander, when they heard a neighbour was getting rid of a car parked in their backyard. A poor 1966 Pontiac Executive Star Chief was heading to the crusher before our duo intervened. Rescued from being recycled, they merely replaced the fuel system (adding an ingenious in-trunk fuel tank), swapped out the tires, and arrived in style! The smiles didn’t leave their faces all weekend, they saved the Camaro’s bacon with parts and tools on multiple occasions, and they had most of us searching Craigslist for our next inexpensive ‘barn find’. Paul Johnson and John Ens were definitely worth of the Hagerty Spirit of the Fall Classic Award for 2019!
And with that, the 2019 Hagerty Fall Classic by CCA was over. We bid our farewells, packed up our gear…and sat down with maps?! CCA guests are not the interstate home types. Before the group could depart, maps were scoured, routes run past Portland locals, and a fun route home was selected by groups traveling in similar directions. We can’t wait too compare notes, because the group heading towards the ferries may have found part of day two for the 2020 Hagerty Fall Classic!
A preview of photos by the talented Andrew Holliday is below:
Our day two route took us through the Willamette and Umpqua National Forests, before heading west to the coast. Once the Pacific Ocean was in view, we travelled north on a section of 101 which copies the famous Pacific Coast Highway in California almost exactly. Soon we were exchanging stories on the beach, before a much needed sleep!
A preview of day two’s photos, once again by the very talented Andrew Holliday:
Whew! What an incredible pleasure to host this group of classic car enthusiasts. 182 of our classic car family, in 90 cars, traveling over 1200km. Our final day took us from Nelson, through Rossland (Hi Kip!) and then off to Osoyoos for our finish at the Spirit Ridge Resort.
Our McGyver Award was presented to Nolan and Deanna Kitchener, for their roadside replacement of a headgasket, water pump, radiator and thermostat. Yes, you read that right…roadside replacement.
The Hard Luck award was hotly contested this year, with multiple cars trying to strand their owners throughout the event. Jordan Rodier and Amos Rowsell would have surely won (having spent most of the weekend in Dave’s partially-finished Cummins-swapped truck), but they chose a hasty retreat for the ferries! There could be only one winner…and Kristophe Le and Mike Abalakov went home with the prize for their failed wheel bearing, and twelve hour adventure getting home for a replacement vehicle.
The David Ellis Spirit of the Thaw award, presented by Hagerty, was awarded to Rob Fram in 2019. Rob’s mini was often seen on the side of the road with tool kit out and Rob under the hood solving issues for some other entrant. Not only was he mechanic, but he always ran his triangle up the road before he began, so the stranded didn’t need to worry about it. Triangles and mechanics aside, we were most impressed with the way he’s passing down his love of classic motoring to his daughter Brynn. While a multiple participant as a co-driver, this year Brynn arrived with a learners permit which was just days old. And yet, she was piloting the mini for multiple legs this weekend, learning both the art of driving…and the joy of classic cars in our classic car family. Whether assuring a stuck motorist that it’s part of the adventure, or creating adventure within his own family and the future of our hobby, Rob is definitely matching David Ellis’ spirit of adventure and motoring!
Here are a few wonderful preview photos from Andrew Snucins, and Samantha Snucins:
We awoke to a wondrous sight: Christmas, in April. Snow wasn’t exactly on anyone’s list of hopefuls for the Hagerty Spring Thaw…but snow we received. Fortunately our photography team of Andrew and Samantha Snucins reported that just 3km down the road it had cleared up. Sun Peaks, to Nelson, via Vernon and Nakusp was our route for the day…and by the time we arrived, it was warm enough for the traditional parking lot party.
Whew! What an awesome day of driving. We started in Harrison Hot Springs, wound our way through Merritt (twice) and then through Tunkwa Lake to Kamloops, finally finishing in Sun Peaks. The weather was exceptional, and although a few cars had some issues along way, everyone has managed to check into our overnight stop.
Andrew Snucins and Samantha Snucins have captured some incredible shots from the day, and we offer the following preview to whet your appetite. Why not grab the keys, and go for a drive yourself?!
